Sunday 6 February 2011

TftD: the Future is here


Click to expand - it is, I understand, a picture from a 1954 issue of Popular Mechanics. It's hilarious ... and a salutary lesson.

3 comments:

alecm said...

Sorry J - it's a hoax of sorts:

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/computer.asp

...but it's still really cool. :-)

Fulani said...

It is really funny... well I laughed anyway. Apparently it was done in 2004 as an entry in a photo-manipulation contest (though that too could be an urban legend!) and the main console comes from a museum mockup of a nuclear submarine control room.

The snopes.com site alecm mentioned explains it. Also more at: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_rand_home_computer.htm and http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/r/randpix.htm

Truthorfiction.com has a great range of urban legends, unlikely true stories, things that are 'true but satirical' and suchlike. I'm sure it could provide the basis for some good stories...

Janine Ashbless said...

Damn it! Too good to be true, eh?